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1/4/10

Chris Bosh now sits on top of the all time scoring list and is forever a part of Raptors history. It gets me thinking that a lot of folks don't give this guy his due. I read far more about what this guy does wrong than what he does right. Just as one small example of something he does right that gets taken for granted is free throws. Most people would agree that Tim Duncan is a great NBA player. In the stretch of that game how many free throws did he miss? Bosh is clutch down the stretch of games and in general at the line. He gets double double performances with regularity and makes it seem simple. The guy is just flat out a good player and anyone that doesn't think he deserves a max deal really isn't in touch with how things work in the NBA. The teams lack of playoff success gets dumped at his feet as well. There are very few players in the history of this game that can win a playoff series on their own. We are fortunate to live in a time where we likely have 2 of those guys playing in the league at the moment in Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Even with their massive amounts of talent they have needed others to win titles. Kobe played a game last night and only had to score 15 points in a Lakers route of the Mavs. The team around him has improved and he has a 4th ring to show for it. Lebron has got to the finals but eventually the lack of talent around him catches up with him. Bosh is the biggest piece to a puzzle but not the entire puzzle.

What I respect about Chris Bosh is in 7 years he has built himself into a superstar. You can see the work and effort that has gone in on his part over the years. He has grown as a player and a person over these 7 years. Who he replaced on top of that scoring list is of course Vince Carter. They are such a contrast in so many ways. Vince is a guy that just had the natural ability to be great. I think if Carter worked as hard as Bosh has you would be having Carter in the conversation with Kobe and Lebron as one of the greatest players in the game today and in it's history. In terms of Bosh he has worked his way into being an all star and he never has been voted into the game. He has been selected every time by the other coaches he competes against year in and year out. You can make the case that Bosh is more respected around the league than he is by some of the people in his home market. There are some folks that no matter what he does always will find what is wrong and not right. The fact he leads now in almost every stat in team history that you could expect from a player at his position is not enough for some. Perhaps the thing that speaks the most to what Bosh is all about is he was just as concerned about if the team won as he was in setting this individual milestone. Chris Bosh wants to win and always has. Vince Carter when times were not so good was far to accepting of losing. Chris Bosh has always fought against that and you can see it in how he reacts after wins compared to losses.

If Chris Bosh didn't care about winning there would not even be a question about 2010. He would re-sign in Toronto and take the money and just demand a trade when he was bored with it all. Vince claimed to want to win but really what has he done since leaving to work towards winning. He would stay with a Nets team that was clearly on the decline and sign and take the money. Eventually wearing out his welcome and being traded to Orlando. If Bosh does remain in Toronto it will be because Bryan Colangelo, Jay Triano and this team have convinced him they can win. Everyone seems to think they can predict what will matter to Bosh in making this choice. However at the core of whatever choice he makes will be about winning. I think Bosh in terms of Toronto likes the city and his place in it. He has done a better job in getting the most out of being the star in the town than Vince Carter did. Bosh has been smart on and off the floor. He has done a great job in growing his profile off the court as well. Some people hate that. I don't and respect what he has done to make himself some other opportunities beyond basketball. The way he has embraced the new era of technology has been ground breaking in many ways. Bosh has been a trailblazer off the floor and really got the most out of being a multi-time all star. It is so easy to hate but really how can you hate someone for getting the most out of their work and effort. Unless Chris Bosh blows off a practice to film a YouTube Video which has not happened and would not, then I have no issue with it. Besides basketball will always be the thing that powers the engine that is the CB4 brand.

Chris Bosh said along time ago that he wanted to be part of the solution in Toronto. A refreshing statement in a sports world where so many just pass blame and move on to the next team. The bottom line to this whole thing is Chris Bosh is now a part of Raptor history for a long time to come. Stay or go in 2010 aside. If you are not one of the ones who respects and appreciates him now do yourself a favor and do it while you still have the chance. When and if the day comes that Chris Bosh calls it a day for his time in Toronto there will be many folks after that will realize just what they lost when he is gone.

So the Dino Nation Blog has always supported Chris Bosh through the good and the bad and Congratulations are in order for Chris Bosh. It is a great accomplishment and I think all Raptor fans encourage you to pad your lead. When all is said and done Chris Bosh will be the All-Time greatest Raptor and one day #4 will hang in the ACC and you can all tell your grand kids I watched him play back in the day and be proud of that.

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